Project Runway

If there's one thing that you can count on during the finale of a reality contest show, it's that the winner will be revealed. Of course, it would be an incredible shift in the way a show works to change that formula and it would be the kind of thing that people would talk about for a while, but we don't think that "Project Runway" is going to go that far outside the box. We think that the odds that you'll find out the winner tonight are incredibly good. So, place those final bets on who it's going to be and then tune in to see if you're right.

Past Events

Last week was the first part of the "Project Runway" season finale. It set the stage for tonight's second part and as much fun as we had watching that first part, let's face it, it's tonight, where someone wins, that really counts. If you missed last week's episode you could still watch tonight, but if you miss tonight's episode you wouldn't see what actually went down. So, who will win tonight? We haven't a clue. We would like to give you some answer like "By watching, aren't we all winners," and while that would be true, it wouldn't really be what you're looking for. Instead, just tune in and see for yourself.

Last week we told you how we were kind of okay with it being the finale because it was only the first half of the finale and "Project Runway" wasn't going to end its season quite yet. Well, that was last week and this is this week. This week is the second half of the finale and "Project Runway" is going to end its season with this episode. As excited as we are to see who wins this year, we're still somewhat upset at the notion that there are going to be no new episodes for a while. Oh, we'll get over it, but it won't be an instantaneous thing.

Oh sure, much of the nation will be tuned to the NCAA basketball tournament tonight, but there's absolutely no reason that everyone need watch -- there's no need for for everyone to even want to watch. If you're into competition but basketball isn't quite your style, maybe "Project Runway" is closer to what you're looking for. This is certainly a tournament, but it's of the fashion design variety not the basketball kind. What you can be sure of is that just like in the basketball tournament, someone is going home today (okay, in the basketball tournament many people are going home but you get the point).

We love ourselves some "Project Runway" and with that extended period when the show didn't air for a year (or thereabouts) well in the rear view, we couldn't be more pleased. There is, in our estimation, absolutely no reason why Heidi Klum shouldn't be on our television every single night, doing all the aufffing that needs to be done. We love Klum. We love her. There, we said it, and we somehow feel more free for having announced our love to the world. You can bet that we will be watching her tonight as the new season begins and in the coming weeks as the season continues.

In our flyover description for this week's "Project Runway" we said that you should expect someone to get 'auf'd' tonight, and we stand by that. No, it doesn't make this episode terribly different from any other episode of "Project Runway," but the weekly auf'ing does have something go for it -- it puts Heidi Klum front and center. We love "Project Runway," but we think we'd love it even more if Klum and Tim Gunn somehow managed to be in every single shot. It might change the character of the show a little, but the two of them are just excellent.

Go ahead, try and tell us that we're wrong, try and tell us that it's not interesting seeing these fashion designers try to design something truly spectacular on a weekly basis. Tell us that it's not wonderful hearing Tim Gunn shout at them to 'make it work' over and over and over again. Tell us that it's not wonderful seeing someone new get auf'd every single week. It is fantastic. It is wonderful, and it is why "Project Runway" is currently in season 10 and has already been renewed all the way through season 15. Watch tonight, watch next week, and watch next year.

This, as if you didn't know, is the 10th season of "Project Runway." We expect there to be massive, huge, ridiculous, insane, over-the-top things happening all season long in order to celebrate. We expect Klum to actually auf someone and we think Tim Gunn is probably just going to record himself saying 'make it work' in a tape recorder and then every time a contestant asks him a question he'll just bust it out and play the track. Plus, when they say this is being filmed in the Big Apple, they probably actually mean some sort of "James and the Giant Peach" thing... except with an apple. Big season, people, big season.